"Spiedie" Tradition. "In the triple-cities area of Binghamton, Johnson City and Endicott, New York, we don't see many 'kabobs,' but the word 'spiedie' (it's pronounced 'speedy') is well known.

"Spiedies are skewers of lamb, beef, pork, chicken or venison that are sold at meat markets and grocery stores and served at restaurants. There is even an annual Spie­die Fest each August."
—Norman Hammond, Endicott, New York

Food Art. "I'm a potter and elementary art teacher, so I love the use of color in food. I dreamed up a theme party called 'The Art of Kabobs,'
revolving around painting.

"I set out prints of some of my favorite paintings and spread out the food on a rainbow table cover. For serving dishes, I chose plastic paint palettes.
The menu included a variety of kabobs:

"Bright fruit kabobs, also skewered on paintbrushes, served with yogurt dip.

"Mini kabobs of three kinds of cheese threaded on 'sword' picks and served with baguette slices.

"Any leftovers can go in a fruit salad or vegetable stir-fry the next day."—Anne Bowen, Swampscott, Massachusetts

Camp Kabob. "When I was a child, family camping was a tradition. On Saturday night, as the grills and campfires were started, my mother and aunts
would set up tables covered with all kinds of meat, from beef cubes and ham to hot dogs and ring bologna, all cut to place on skewers. There would also be a
variety of vegetables and plenty of pineapple available. Each person would be responsible for filling his or her own skewer.

"Since we no longer camp, this tradition now happens on Labor Day. It's the perfect way to end summer." —Sandra Hunsberger Myers,
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania

Family Assembly. "Last May, we prepared 260 kabobs for our family reunion, held at a retreat in Steelville, Missouri. We had a lot of fun getting
them together in assembly-line fashion ... and it took only about an hour.

Remove food from skewers before serving, using a fork to slide off the ingredients gently.

Readers Share Ideas for Tip-Top Kabobs

When making kabobs, I thread a skewer with all the same ingredients. That way, all the pieces on each skewer cook for the same amount of time. For
serving, I remove the food from the skewers and place in a large bowl. My family can then pick and choose what they like.
—Rhonda Crowe, Victoria, British Columbia

I use rosemary stalks from my garden as skewers when I grill pieces of chicken. First, I remove some of the leaves by sliding my fingers down the stalk.
—Leslie Collins, Linthicum, Maryland

Before my family leaves for a camping trip, I prepare kabobs to be cooked over an open fire.
—Kellie Reid, Yale, Michigan

To keep wooden skewers from splintering or catching on fire, soak in water for 30 minutes before threading.
—Arcee Martin, Cascade, Colorado

To prevent mushrooms from splitting when threading them onto skewers, first cover with boiling water. Let stand for 1 minute, drain and then thread onto
skewers.
—Patricia Kile, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania

Thread shrimp through both ends to prevent them from spinning around on the skewers.
—Sharon Wilson, Afton, Virginia

A festive way to serve fruit kabobs is to place the skewer ends into half a melon.
—Robin Spires, Tampa, Florida

A simple way to prevent kabobs from sticking to the grill is to spray them with nonstick cooking spray before grilling.
—Bea Westphal, Slidell, Louisiana